Complete Notes |
Conference Stats
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Following the start of conference play last weekend, American Athletic Conference baseball teams will combine for 11 nonconference midweek games this week. The league holds the sixth-best NCAA RPI ranking among the 31 Division I conferences and owns a 104-76 (.578) nonconference record.
ECU (18-6, 3-0), UConn (13-8, 2-1), Wichita State (11-12, 2-1) and Cincinnati (8-14, 2-1) each came out on top in their conference-opening series. Tulane (17-7) is also coming off a weekend sweep, after defeating Houston Baptist in a three-game series.
The Pirates continue to receive national recognition, with their highest ranking coming in at No. 13 from Baseball America, while UConn received votes in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association’s (NCBWA) and USA Today’s Coaches’ polls.
Having played all 21 of its games on the road this season, UConn (No. 23) leads The American in the latest RPI ranking. It was a battle between two of the conference’s 2018 NCAA regional teams when the Huskies took two of three games in a series at Houston to begin conference play last weekend. All-America southpaw Mason Feole earned the win Friday night after tossing 7.0 innings and striking out a season-high eight batters. Michael Woodworth hit two home runs and had four hits in Sunday’s 9-3 rubber-match victory over the Cougars. The Huskies have won three-straight series heading into this week’s action and will play their first two home games of the season at J.O. Christian Field (J.O.C.). The Huskies host Hartford on Tuesday and Boston College on Wednesday. UConn will play its final season at J.O.C. in 2019 before moving across the street into its new ballpark in 2020.
ECU is coming off a weekend sweep of UCF and is on a six-game winning streak. The Pirates pounded out double-digit hits in each game of the series, improving to 13-0 this season when tallying 10 or more hits. Spencer Brickhouse was named The American’s Player of the Week after batting .500 over the weekend with a pair of home runs, eight RBIs and five runs scored. Alec Burleson continues to lead the conference at the plate with a .402 batting average and also owns a 2.39 ERA with two pitching wins through eight appearances on the mound. ECU is back in action this weekend when it travels to USF for a three-game series.
UCF (15-9, 0-3) will look to bounce back at home against North Florida Wednesday night. The Knights struck for six runs in the fifth inning to knock off then-No. 14 Florida State in their midweek clash last week. The top three of the order (Matthew Mika, Tyler Osik and Ray Alejo) combined for 26 of UCF’s 37 hits on the week. Osik has reached safely in 22-straight games, while Alejo is on a nine-game hitting streak.
After dropping its series opener, Cincinnati rallied back, taking the final two games of the set at USF last weekend. Starter Garrett Schoenle had a phenomenal performance on the mound in Sunday’s 4-1 rubber-match victory, striking out a career-high 12 batters through 8.1 innings of work. The lefthander allowed just four hits and three walks through his outing and was named The American’s Pitcher of the Week. A.J. Bumpass is on 12-game hitting streak. Cincinnati will look to keep it going at home against Northern Kentucky Wednesday before welcoming Tulane to Marge Schott Stadium over the weekend.
Tulane is coming off a sweep of Houston Baptist last weekend, and for the second time in as many weeks, it will begin with a midweek game against Louisiana streamed on ESPN+. Tulane has won five-straight games, including a 7-3 win over the Ragin’ Cajuns last Wednesday. Kody Hoese continues to pace Tulane’s offense in a host of categories, leading The American and ranking in the nation’s top 10 in home runs (11), home runs per game (0.46), slugging percentage (.804) and total bases (78). The Green Wave’s offense leads the conference in batting average (.303), on-base percentage (.403), slugging percentage (.515), hits (253), runs (186), doubles (52), triples (10), walks (119), RBIs (167) and home runs (35).
Following a 3-1 week, Wichita State prepares for two midweek contests as the Shockers welcome Omaha and Kansas State to Eck Stadium Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. Wichita State walked off against Kansas, 3-2, in 13 innings last Wednesday and took two of three in its conference-opening series against Memphis over the weekend. Wichita State will wrap up a 14-game homestand with a three-game series against Bethune-Cookman this weekend. Through 23 contests, the Shockers are led at the plate by senior infielders Jordan Boyer (.400 BA) and Luke Ritter (.396 BA). Both sluggers rank in The American’s top five in batting average. Ritter is riding a 35-game on-base streak dating back to last season.
Houston (11-11, 1-2) will host Sam Houston State as part of the Don Sanders Cup at Schroeder Park Tuesday before traveling to Nacogdoches, Texas, to face Stephen F. Austin Wednesday. The Cougars are coming off a 1-2 weekend against UConn to open conference play. Joe Davis leads The American in RBIs (27) and is second in home runs (8) and third in slugging percentage (.683). Righthander Fred Villarreal leads conference in ERA (1.05) and is tied for fifth in saves (3).
Memphis (11-11, 1-2) will host No. 22 Ole Miss Tuesday night at AutoZone Park. The Tigers dropped two of three at Wichita State to open league play, but ended on a high note with a 6-3 Sunday win. Eight of the nine Memphis batters recorded at least one hit in the victory with senior Colton Neel leading the way with three base knocks. Neel also saw time on the mound, recording his fourth save of the season.
USF (12-10, 1-2) opened its conference slate at home with a 4-3 win over Cincinnati last Friday, but the Bulls took losses in Games 2 and 3 of the series. USF looks to bounce back on the road at Stetson Wednesday night. Collin Sullivan earned a spot on The American’s weekly Honor Roll following a strong start in Friday’s win over the Bearcats. He registered a career-high 11 strikeouts through 7.0 innings pitched on the way to earning his second win of the year.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Tuesday, March 26
Hartford at UConn - 3 p.m.
Omaha at Wichita State - 7 p.m.
Ole Miss at Memphis - 7 p.m.
Sam Houston State at Houston - 7:30 p.m.
Tulane at Louisiana (ESPN+) - 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 27
Boston College at UConn - 3 p.m.
Houston at Stephen F. Austin - 3 p.m.
Northern Kentucky at Cincinnati - 4 p.m.
North Florida at UCF - 6 p.m.
USF at Stetson - 6:30 p.m.
Kansas State at Wichita State (Cox/ESPN3) - 7 p.m.
Friday, March 29
Bethune-Cookman at Wichita State - 1 p.m.
UConn at UCF* - 6 p.m.
Tulane at Cincinnati* - 6 p.m.
ECU at USF* - 7 p.m.
Houston at Memphis* - 7 p.m.
Saturday, March 30
Houston at Memphis* - 3 p.m.
Bethune-Cookman at Wichita State - 3 p.m.
Tulane at Cincinnati* - 4 p.m.
UConn at UCF* - 6 p.m.
ECU at USF* - 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 31
Tulane at Cincinnati* - Noon
ECU at USF* - 1 p.m.
UConn at UCF* - 1 p.m.
Houston at Memphis* - 2 p.m.
Bethune-Cookman at Wichita State - 2 p.m.
All times Eastern and subject to change
*Denotes conference game